This weekend was my last trip before my final weekend in Florence and then my parents coming. It is so crazy how time has flown by here. I went on the school trip to Southern France which is suppossed to be the last hurrah trip so about 90 GIF people went so it was huge and great. We stayed in a hotel in Nice that was 1 block from the beach so of course after our tour the first day we all ran to the beach. The tour of Nice in the morning was nice. Honestly I think we are all kindof tired of tours at this point so mostly we were taking pictures of cool places and soaking in the sun on the walk. It was nice to get oriented with the city. We also got to see where Elton John and George Cloony's houses are as well as the hospital where Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had their twins (just a bit of celebrety facts that I thought was interesting). Then we ended at a famous Bar called Waynes for a light lunch and wine and then it was off the the beach.
I think everyone had the same idea so we all put on our swimsuits and ran down there. Unfortunetly the beaches in Nice are rocky not sandy like at home but its ok we made it work. Nice actually has to manually rebuild their beaches every year because of the erosion in the winter. We laid out our towels, had a beer, slept, chatted and went swimming...the water was still cold but did feel nice. Since we were out there all day and alot of us have not seen the sun for a while when we got back tons of people were burnt. Luckily for me I was just slightly pink not like the lobsters some people were looking like. That night I went into old town with some girls where we wandered around to find a small hole-in-the-wall resturant that had French food. I had Ratatouille and I have to admit I may have ordered it just because I had learned about it from the Disney movie....but it was still delicious. Also, France gives you free tap water which is awesome!!!! The little things we take for granted.
The next day we took a bus to Aix-en-Provence (more inland France) where we wandered around markets, got yummy crepes and basically relaxed and explored..nothing too exciting happened there but it was really pretty and the market was great and huge. That night I explored Nice some more, made my own dinner to save some money ( and I wasnt that hungry) and basiucally relaxed and went to bed. I feel really old that I didnt go out any night but I think all of us are so worn out from traveling so much that this was our relax and recover trip, and I have to admit it was sooo nice. The last day the bus took us to Monte Carlo, Monaco which is actually a different country that many people think is part of France. This is where the famous Monaco Grand Prix race is heald. It is really cool because the race car track actually is the streets of Monte Carlo so there are really nice roads and bumpers all over. Also there were the nicest cars I have ever seen there. Monte Carlo is also famous for its casino which I didnt get to see because it didnt open until 2 and we were not there that long. On our bus ride back to Florence we wound up the hill and saw where the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters of Tennis on clay courts was being played and we could see all of the courts and stands filled with people. It was pretty cool even though I am not a tennis player.
So I would say it was a successful last trip to send my time here in Europe. Now I have to get craxking on papers and studying this week. I have 2 finals, a quiz and one paper due this week and then 2 finals and a paper do next week so I have alot to do, so I am definetly staying in Florence this weekend. Then my parents are coming in on the 22nd so I cannot wait...of course they cant either as my mom I swear stared backing 2 weeks ago. We are going to explore Italy some more and relax alot which will be great as the weather is about a constant 70 degrees now. I hope all is well at home. I will be back and hope to see everyone in 3 weeks!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Beer, Brats and Lederhosen
I just have to say I am proud to be German. Munich I think has moved up my list of the most favorite places I have been. Last weekend I took an 8hour drive to Munich which actually was not nearly as bad as it seems (I think I have just gotten used to bus rides now).
The first day we were there we woke up early for Mike's Bike tour. The guide was funny and entertaining which made it way better because I am a little tired of the typical tour by now. We rode all around the city seeing famous squares, standing exactly where Hitler stood in some instances and learning the history of Germany. Then the tour went through the English Garden (where there is a nude grass area...yes we saw things in only 70 degree weather). And then we stopped at a beer garden. I got Currywurst and shared a radler beer (beer with lemonade) with a friend of mine. Of course some people didnt share and so getting back on the bikes was a funny sight as some people were a little bit happier. The weather was absolutely amazing and everyone we met talked about how lucky we were. After the bike tour we got to explore for the day, so of course the group all wanted to go to the famous beerhouse called the Hofbrauhaus. There we met a group of German boys who were wearing sweatshirst full of bells, signatures, and crazy feather hats. Turns out they has just been released from the army and were celebrating. We found out that before you go one to any form of higher education in Germany you used to be required to enter the army or do civil service for a certain amount of time. This requirement had just been abolished so these 20 year olds were celebrating. It was fun to learn all about Germany and the culture. Later that night I ate a traditional German dinner of some sort of pork and a potato dumpling (honestly its kind of rubbery). But the group I was with sat for hours at our table just relaxing and chatting which was great and of course I had to get my first apple strudel of the trip.
The next morning, Saturday, was the Dachau Concentration Camp tour. Dacchau was the only concentration camp to be open the entire time of WWII so it is full of history and stories. We had a great tour guide who was actually a historian and a concentration camp specialist so she led an amazing tour. The camp itself was built for 6000 people and at its highest point had about 40,000...I could not even imagine. It was an erie and sad experience but I am very glad that I did it. There were definetly moment where I was stunned and felt uncomfortable but I think that is normal. Its is honestly hard to explain the experience.
That afternoon we had free so a large group of us went to an open air market, which of course had another beer garden...those things are everywhere in Munich!!!. But I got a Bratworst and walked around with my friend Hannah. We got fresh fruit juice, honey gummy bears and endless samples for the super nice German people. Then we ventured up to Olympic Park to see the stadiums. The park is huge and with 70+ weather it was the BEST thing to do. Hannah and I sat on the grass for at least 2 hours chatting away and enjoying the amazing view of the lake, watching paddleboats and soaking in the sun. I could live in Munich easily. The BEST part of the trip by far was when a small group of us decided to go check out another beer hall by our hostel that night. Turns out we encountered the HUGE strong beer fest. There was a live German Band standing on barells barefoot playing instruments. Everyone was dreessed up in traditional clothes (we were almost out of place in normal clothes) and everyone was standing on chairs dancing and drinking out of steins...I love Germans thats all I can say. We sang and danced along. It was the true experience...and I took plenty of videos to document how cool it was. Needless to say my dinner that night was amazing beer and applestrudel...welcome to Germany.
The last morning we woke up for a shorter bus ride to Neuschwanstein to see King Ludwig's Castle which is the one that Walt Disney based his sleeping beauty castle off of. We got tickets to go inside and everything was lavishly paintied, with jewels and mosaics everywhere. Everything you would ever hope a castle would be. There were even secret doors and cave passageways. It was very fun....I just wish I had a crown:)
Finally it was time to take the long bus ride home, but overal it was a great trip. Only two weeks left with Souther France trip next weekend and then finals. My aunt Kat and uncle Tom are here this week so it is very fun to have familiar faces around!
The first day we were there we woke up early for Mike's Bike tour. The guide was funny and entertaining which made it way better because I am a little tired of the typical tour by now. We rode all around the city seeing famous squares, standing exactly where Hitler stood in some instances and learning the history of Germany. Then the tour went through the English Garden (where there is a nude grass area...yes we saw things in only 70 degree weather). And then we stopped at a beer garden. I got Currywurst and shared a radler beer (beer with lemonade) with a friend of mine. Of course some people didnt share and so getting back on the bikes was a funny sight as some people were a little bit happier. The weather was absolutely amazing and everyone we met talked about how lucky we were. After the bike tour we got to explore for the day, so of course the group all wanted to go to the famous beerhouse called the Hofbrauhaus. There we met a group of German boys who were wearing sweatshirst full of bells, signatures, and crazy feather hats. Turns out they has just been released from the army and were celebrating. We found out that before you go one to any form of higher education in Germany you used to be required to enter the army or do civil service for a certain amount of time. This requirement had just been abolished so these 20 year olds were celebrating. It was fun to learn all about Germany and the culture. Later that night I ate a traditional German dinner of some sort of pork and a potato dumpling (honestly its kind of rubbery). But the group I was with sat for hours at our table just relaxing and chatting which was great and of course I had to get my first apple strudel of the trip.
The next morning, Saturday, was the Dachau Concentration Camp tour. Dacchau was the only concentration camp to be open the entire time of WWII so it is full of history and stories. We had a great tour guide who was actually a historian and a concentration camp specialist so she led an amazing tour. The camp itself was built for 6000 people and at its highest point had about 40,000...I could not even imagine. It was an erie and sad experience but I am very glad that I did it. There were definetly moment where I was stunned and felt uncomfortable but I think that is normal. Its is honestly hard to explain the experience.
That afternoon we had free so a large group of us went to an open air market, which of course had another beer garden...those things are everywhere in Munich!!!. But I got a Bratworst and walked around with my friend Hannah. We got fresh fruit juice, honey gummy bears and endless samples for the super nice German people. Then we ventured up to Olympic Park to see the stadiums. The park is huge and with 70+ weather it was the BEST thing to do. Hannah and I sat on the grass for at least 2 hours chatting away and enjoying the amazing view of the lake, watching paddleboats and soaking in the sun. I could live in Munich easily. The BEST part of the trip by far was when a small group of us decided to go check out another beer hall by our hostel that night. Turns out we encountered the HUGE strong beer fest. There was a live German Band standing on barells barefoot playing instruments. Everyone was dreessed up in traditional clothes (we were almost out of place in normal clothes) and everyone was standing on chairs dancing and drinking out of steins...I love Germans thats all I can say. We sang and danced along. It was the true experience...and I took plenty of videos to document how cool it was. Needless to say my dinner that night was amazing beer and applestrudel...welcome to Germany.
The last morning we woke up for a shorter bus ride to Neuschwanstein to see King Ludwig's Castle which is the one that Walt Disney based his sleeping beauty castle off of. We got tickets to go inside and everything was lavishly paintied, with jewels and mosaics everywhere. Everything you would ever hope a castle would be. There were even secret doors and cave passageways. It was very fun....I just wish I had a crown:)
Finally it was time to take the long bus ride home, but overal it was a great trip. Only two weeks left with Souther France trip next weekend and then finals. My aunt Kat and uncle Tom are here this week so it is very fun to have familiar faces around!
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